Reimagining Woodward Library: 50 Years in the Making

As Woodward Library looks forward to its 50th Anniversary, spaces are being reimagined to further advance its integrated partnerships with UBC science programs.

Faculty and students in cross-disciplinary areas now have access to additional resources and increased opportunities for collaboration, thanks to the integration of several Library units into Woodward Library earlier this year. Kyle Huang, a fourth year Science student majoring in Integrated Science, Genetics and Molecular Biology, calls Woodward Library his second home, pointing out the great atmosphere for studying, excellent resources and staff expertise. Huang, and students like him, will benefit greatly from the reimagined multidisciplinary Woodward Library.

Bernhard Zender, Engineering Technician (UBC Physics and Astronomy) and project sponsor of the UBC Engineering Physics Project Lab, recently collaborated with UBC Library to arrange for lending of open source Arduino computer kits. He applauds the expansion of such resources for students, noting future collaborations are already in the works to develop tools and techniques that could benefit students in the same way.

The possibilities for Woodward Library are limitless, as it could play host to a creative Maker Space where future scientists engage with state-of-the-art technologies; a legacy room to display unique objects in museum-grade glass cases; seminar, teaching, silent study and meeting spaces; a flexible lounge; and a conservation lab.

Woodward Library, as home to the largest biomedical collection in western Canada, serves over 20,000 students and faculty annually from UBC’s faculties of Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy, Science, Engineering, Forestry and Land and Food Systems. The location is poised to emerge as the premier research hub at UBC, supporting advances in science discovery and scholarship.

Future doctors, nurses and pharmacists meet tomorrow’s computer scientists, biologists and forest engineers, and their learning and research will lead to breakthroughs impacting millions, whether through new cancer treatments or innovative approaches to sustainability.